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Jan. 3, 2024
LINCOLN – Drought remained the main weather concern for 2023, but those conditions are easing in Cedar County.
“Cedar County is better off than its neighbors to the south. I’m not saying farmers there were lucky this year or it was a golden year, but in comparison to what we’re dealing with an hour and half south, you are better off,” said Eric Hunt, Extension Educator of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Resilience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
There’s still some long-standing precipitation deficits but parts of Cedar and Dixon counties picked up some moisture in 2023 that improved the outlook. Although the area is still considered abnormally dry, moisture this spring and some last summer rainfalls helped improve their U.S. Drought Monitor ranking.
The summer heat was classified as average and although there was some impressive heat and humidity in mid-August, overall conditions remained favorable, Hunt said.
October ushered in some wet weather in northeast Nebraska.
“Most places did pretty well with another round of decent improvements,” Hunt said.
November was dry overall and the weather was very warm for the state in December.
Jan. 10, 2024
HARTINGTON — Old Man Winter came out of hibernation this week.
The Hartington area had only seen a few inches of snow for the 2023-24 winter season prior to this week’s snowstorm.
A strong winter storm moved into the area late Sunday night, blanketing the area with snow. As of press time Tuesday morning, the snow had stopped falling across the region.
The National Weather Service was reporting parts of northeast Nebraska had received up to 11 inches of snow and minor ice accumulations.
Snow, mixed with winds gusting up to 45 mph on Monday night, and into Tuesday morning, created near-blizzard conditions, closing roads, schools and businesses.
The storm forced all area schools to cancel two days of classes due to winter weather for the first time during the 2023-24 academic year.
The storm also forced the cancellation or rescheduling of several school and community activities, including the postponement of the Hartington City Council meeting from Monday to Thursday.
The Cedar County Commissioners also had to push the start time of their meeting back to the early afternoon on Tuesday.
Sporting events from around the region also had to be moved.
Jan. 10, 2024
HARTINGTON — Jessica Schmit is ready to serve the people of her home county in a public capacity.
The rural Coleridge woman was appointed as the new Cedar County clerk on Jan. 9 during the board of commissioners’ first meeting of 2024.
Schmit has taken over the position from Dave Dowling, who has retired from the role after a 37-year career. She will finish the current four-year term, which runs through December 2026.
“I am excited for the opportunity to serve Cedar County and to work with everyone at the courthouse,” Schmit said. “It is a great group of people.”
She expressed her gratitude for Dowling being willing to be a mentor during the upcoming election cycle. The county clerk’s position also comes with titles of election commissioner and register of deeds.
“There is a lot to learn, but I am up for the challenge,” Schmit said. “I have learned a lot from Dave and everyone in the office already. Darla Frank and Charlene Sudbeck have years of experience and I know they will be very helpful as I continue to learn.”
She had never worked in any government setting before she was hired in August to work for the county clerk’s office as a staff member.
“I am looking forward to the budget process and all that entails,” Schmit said. “I really enjoy working with numbers. I think I will enjoy that part of the job a lot.”
She graduated in 2002 from Coleridge High School and went on to Concordia University in Seward, where she graduated in 2006 after majoring in business administration and minoring in accounting.
